---- Chapter 17

The rest of the morning passed quietly, with Lois concentrating on Jordan until lunch, when she started getting ready for the meeting she and Clark had with the source. She suited up and started mentally going over the information Clark had given her Sunday night when they'd done their best to connect Lex to all the dirty councilmen.

Clark got there right at two, kissing Jordan on the forehead and giving his mom a quick hug before they left.

"So, Smallville, who is this guy and what information does he have?"

"His name's Mack, and he says he has documents linking councilman Leaky to Lex directly."

"How'd he get them?"

"As sources go, it could be worse. He says he's a former aide to Leaky at his company. I've looked into it, and there were a couple people that worked as an aide to Leaky that could fit the name 'Mack.' It's worth a look, if nothing else, and it's not like we've never had a possible source turn out useless before."

Lois frowned not liking the sound of this. "As sources go, it could be a lot better. From what little information I've heard, I already have my doubts."

"Believe me, Lo, I'm not banking on this being anything substantial. I'm betting on more indirect evidence at best, useless drivel from a spurned employee at worst."

"How did you even find the guy?"

"We got a tip from Bobby Bigmouth about looking into Leaky's company on the story that brought us around to the city council scandal. I learned about this guy from another source in a different part of the company."

They rode the rest of the way in silence. Lois was looking around at Clark's car... no, their car, unable to decipher how to turn on the radio. She wondered if cars even had terrestrial radio anymore, the way satellite had been catching on. Eh, things couldn't have changed THAT much.

Clark parked them in front of a building, turning to her before the got out. "Ready?"

Lois rolled her eyes. "You ask that like this is going to be some harrowing experience instead of a guy handing us papers."

"You have a tendency to make things like this more harrowing than necessary, no matter how much memory you have."

Twenty minutes later, they got back into the car, Lois grinning like the Cheshire Cat and holding the documents while Clark scratched at his chin. They were silent a moment before he spoke.

"Sadly, that goes on the list of less eventful source meetings."

"I thought it was fun."

"That's because you didn't have to protect your pregnant wife from the ricochet of a gun misfiring."

"I can concede that point, though I am going to say it's unlikely I'll ever have a pregnant wife."

"Lo..."

"Yes, yes. I'll be more careful in the future, Smallville."

Clark sighed. "It's just... I know that you're trying to get back into the swing of things and make adjustments, and it's easy to forget, but you really are pregnant, Lo. We have a little girl at home to think about, too."

Lois grimaced, having forgotten that little detail when they'd been in there. Now her actions were a lot less fun and a lot more stupid. "Well now I feel bad about all that. Thanks a lot, Smallville."

They pulled out into traffic, headed back towards their apartment before Clark spoke again. "I didn't mean to make you feel bad, Lois. I just know that you get caught up in the fact that your partner is more or less invulnerable and as such, take a few more risks. That being said, I still don't know why he had a gun. He sounded kinda jumpy over the phone, but that just seemed excessive."

"The important thing is, we have the information. Do you want to head back to the Planet and get this stuff filed with everything else we have?"

She watched Clark reach back and pull the large folder that had all of their investigation up into his lap. "Not necessary. I told Perry I'd be working at home for the rest of the afternoon. We can do this stuff here and there until Jordan needs to sack out for the night and I take mom home. After that, we can work on this or do whatever you want."

They spent the rest of the afternoon and most of the early evening ignoring the work and just enjoying family time. Lois got lost in the fun of playing games with Jordan, watching Clark smile at everything their little girl did. Martha was the same way, but Clark had been right when he said that she loved spoiling Jordan. While they'd gone to meet with the source, Martha had taken Jordan out to get ice cream cones and the ingredients for ice cream coated chocolate chip waffles to make for dessert. They had ended up skipping a healthy dinner and going straight to the waffles.

Stuffed after dinner with Jordan ensconced in drawing a family portrait for everybody to have, the three adults sat around the coffee table. Lois slouched into an armchair she'd pulled closer so she could put her feet up on the table, sipping at a glass of apple juice.

"So, Smallville, your mom was telling me the story of when I woke up from my coma earlier today. I dare say she told it better than anything you've told me, and you're a writer. You relate things in words for a living. What's your excuse for that?" She grinned at him, seeing if he'd be goaded into telling it from his point of view.

"Lois, you're talking about Martha Kent. She does everything exceptionally, including being a better storyteller than her son. Her son doesn't mind though, since she is an exceptional mother and makes the best waffles anywhere in the galaxy. Trust me, I've asked around."

"Strangely enough, your mother is still the coolest thing about you, Smallville. Funny how some things never changed with time."

Lois watched Martha stand up and plant a kiss on her sons forehead as he rolled his eyes at her statement. "As much as I love hearing you say I'm a good mother, I think it's time I got home. Is Jordan going to come out to the farm tomorrow?"

"Lois is going to go back in to the office on Friday, so she'll be out there then. You'll just have to find somebody else to spoil for the next couple days, mom."

Lois stood and hugged Martha goodbye, then Clark took off with her in his arms. About twenty minutes later, he was back, having done a quick stop of a bank robbery before getting back home. They went and tucked Jordan in for the night before settling back down in the livingroom. A comfortable silence engulfed them for a time before Clark finally broke the silence.

"I'm guessing you want to hear my perspective on your coma awakening."

"It's about time you offered."

"I don't think you're ever going to learn patience, are you Lois?"

"You know, I never thought I'd find an upside to losing my memory, but if it means I never have to learn to be patient... no it still sucks. Anyway, on to the story, Clarkie!" She finished with a wide grin to the sound of him groaning.

---

Clark drove a fence post a foot down into the ground, then x-rayed to make sure it hadn't cracked from the impact. Finding nothing, he set about driving another post into the ground a couple yards away. When all else failed, pounding things into the ground always helped keep his mind from thinking that at any second he was going to get a call from his mother saying that Lois had passed away, never waking from her coma.

Sighing, he looked down the line of fifty bare posts he'd driven into the ground in the last few minutes through the light snow. He walked back to the first and started nailing up the main portion of the fence. His mind drifted off, wondering why it had to be Lois dying in the hospital. Not that he would substitute anybody for her; he'd just as soon avoid anybody having to suffer, but he knew that was unrealistic. Lois, though...

Why had it only occurred to him not long before the attack that she was so damned attractive? So damned smart, loving, devoted...

No. That was a bad road to go down. It only led to brooding, and he'd promised himself that he'd do his best not to brood. It wouldn't get him anywhere and would just make his day go slower. Plus, if there was anything in the world Lois hated, it was brooding.

A ringing from the house caught his attention. He super sped back and found that his mom was calling. That meant... no, he needed to stay positive, or at least sound positive. He flipped open his phone.

"Hey mom, what's up?"

His mom sounded urgent on the other end. "Go to the Daily Planet and get Chloe, right away. Bring her to the hospital."

Clark's heart fell, his chest pulling tight as the call he'd feared sounded like it was finally there. He took a second to keep breathing before he spoke again. "Is Lois... did she die?"

"No honey, she's awake."

As soon as he heard the word awake, he took off running for Metropolis as fast as he ever had. The world stood still around him in the few seconds it took him to cover the distance, no thought crossing his mind as he pushed himself to get there. He ran through the hospital and stopped in front of his mother. He x-rayed the room and saw the doctor and nurses tending to Lois.

"When?"

"A few minutes ago, Clark. You need to go get Chloe and bring her here. More familiar faces will probably help dull the shock, though I don't know by how much. Now, go!"

His eyes never left Lois' room as he nodded and took off running for the Daily Planet, getting there a second later. He stepped out of the alley he'd stopped super speeding in and ran into the Planet at normal speed, weaving his was through people as he headed for the stairs. He entered the stairwell and x-rayed up to Chloe's floor finding it empty. In a blink he was exiting the stairwell on her floor and weaving his way through the bullpen towards Chloe's desk.

It was vacant. Of course it was vacant, because he was in a hurry to find her and get her to Lois. He looked around the room, x-raying everywhere he couldn't see with his normal sight but she wasn't anywhere to be found. He was going to have to try and talk her editor into giving up her current assignment so he could go get her.

He walked back past the last desk and knocked on the door, where a voice he hadn't heard in years answered.

"In."

Clark walked into the editor's office to find Perry White behind the desk. "Well, if it isn't Clark Kent of Smallville. Come to cash in that favor I owe you?"

"What? Oh, no, Mr. White. I'm looking for Chloe Sullivan. I need to find her and take her to Metropolis General. It's about her cousin, Lois Lane."

Clark watched Perry tap his chin a couple times. "Yeah, I read the articles that Sullivan and Lane put out before the attack. Great stuff. Wish I could have met Lane, seems like she was somebody I could have enjoyed working with. I sent Sullivan out to cover a press conference at STAR Labs. You'll find her there. Did you figure out how to stop burying the lead yet?"

"What?"

"You buried the lead in high school. Have you stopped yet?"

Clark looked around, anxious to get out of there and find Chloe. "Not quite. My professor says I'm getting better about it, though. Thank you for telling me where Chloe is."

With that, he walked out of the office, eager to get out of the building and speed over to STAR Labs. He did so as quickly as humanly possible, aside from his trip down the stairs, and then sped over to the press conference. He found Chloe standing among a throng of reporters, in the middle of her job. He was torn between screwing up her job and waiting for it to end. After a minute, Lois won out and he made his way through the reporters and got to her side. He tapped her on the shoulder and she turned, sporting a surprised face when she saw him.

"Clark, I'm working! What are you doing here?"

"Lois woke up."

Chloe's eyes went wide and wet as she stood stunned for a second before pushing her notepad into her purse and walking behind Clark as he pushed his way back through the reporters. Once they were a little ways away, they found a spot where nobody could see them. He pulled her up into his arms and took off for the hospital, keeping his run slower than he wanted so he wouldn't hurt Chloe.

They arrived just inside Lois's room and Clark set Chloe down just in time to hear her speaking. "Not sad. Angry."

"Lois!"

Clark watched Chloe move to the unoccupied side of the bed, her movements slowed by all the tears that were drowning her eyes and cheeks. "Oh god, Lois! You're really awake! Clark told me, but until I saw you, I couldn't let myself hope..."

Lois gave Chloe a small smile. "Too strong for own good. Takes more... to kill me."

His mother stood, smiling at the scene. "I'm going to get call Sam. He'll want to be here as quickly as possible." She walked out of the room, planting a kiss on Clark's cheek as she passed. He looked back to Chloe and Lois.

"Lois, I'm so sorry," Chloe said through her tears. "I should have been here. I shouldn't have let my hope you'd wake up wane... god, you're really back!" Chloe put her head down on the bed and Clark finally moved over, placing a hand on her back, his eyes never moving from Lois's face.

"Woke up... Mrs. Kent here. Family here, Chlo. Don't cry." Lois's eyes moved up and met Clark's, and he just about burst into tears himself. Looking at her, he knew he'd missed her hazel eyes more than he would admit. "Hey, Smallville."

"How are you, Lois?"

"Awake. Alive. Angry." She stopped a moment, and he watched her work her jaw a little bit. "Also... alliterative."

He laughed, and heard Chloe finally stop crying as she let out a laugh as well. "Good to know, Lois."

---

"Nobody handles adversity quite like I do, Smallville. How many people do you know that could have cracked a joke at a time like that?"

"Lois, please trust me, you're unlike anybody else I have ever known."